Column: IU drops ball on another season

Sophomore running back Tevin Coleman couldn’t verbalize his thoughts. The ones that came out were hardly audible.

He had his head tilted downward, though he probably didn’t realize it.

“I just gotta keep my head up,” he said.

In a low, deep voice, he spoke in only two- or three-sentence responses to questions after IU’s 42-39 loss to Minnesota on Saturday at Memorial Stadium. His lips only separated when he spoke. He rarely made eye contact.

“As you can definitely see, I’m not happy at all,” he said. “Not cheerful at all.”

Coleman dropped a pass that was thrown backwards on the Minnesota 9-yard line with 25 seconds to play and IU down three points. He didn’t know it was a fumble. Minnesota did.

Coleman didn’t make an attempt for the ball until after a Golden Gopher had recovered it. In that moment, IU lost not only the game, but probably the season.

IU (3-5, 1-3) has to win on the road against either Wisconsin (6-2, 4-1) or Ohio State (9-0, 5-0) in addition to beating Illinois (3-5, 0-4) and Purdue (1-7, 0-4) at home to become bowl eligible.

In all likelihood, that’s not going to happen.

Facing a crowd of reporters by himself, you could tell Coleman felt that weight.

“I put all the pressure on me,” he said of the loss. “Thought it was my fault.”

It’s a loss that was indicative of the IU football program. It represented everything IU football has ever been. It’s everything IU Coach Kevin Wilson and the players are trying not to be.

But yet, there was junior wide receiver Shane Wynn once again answering questions about what a crushing blow another loss is to players in the IU locker room.

He slowly shook his head back and forth three times and looked down.

“Y’all guys know how it is.”

He shrugged his shoulders twice.

“Just quiet people,” he said. “Just gotta get it back up
tomorrow.”

This game isn’t about blame. That’s not fair for anyone. This loss is about how IU still hasn’t made the jump over its biggest hurdle: itself.

Despite all efforts, Wilson and this team still haven’t made the transition out of the stereotypical IU football team.

That’s the team that had a perfect ball to Damarlo Belcher in the end zone to win against Iowa in 2010, but the pass was dropped.

That’s the team that fumbled in a tie game with one minute and 13 seconds to go to set up a game-winning field goal for Virginia in 2011.

That’s the team that gave up a game it was winning against Ball State with 49 seconds to go in 2012.

Now you can add that it’s the team that loses a lateral with 25 seconds to go when it’s nine yards away from winning the game.

Nothing has changed. No corners have been turned.

If IU had punched it in during the waning seconds and completed the comeback against Minnesota, the

Hoosiers probably would have gone to a bowl game, and who knows where the program could have gone from there. This game could’ve been the turning point.

But it wasn’t.

It was right there — so close players and fans could almost taste the victory — and then, just as it has time and time again, IU dropped the ball.

Until IU figures out how to win not only the close games but its must-win games, this program is going nowhere.

“I’m just disappointed for the seniors and the coaches,” sophomore quarterback Nate Sudfeld said. “We’re due for some of these wins. We really just gotta finish.”

Same old story.

And Coleman, though only a sophomore, knew it.

­— robhowar@indiana
Follow columnist Robby Howard on Twitter @robbyhoward1.